Hi, Digby Rayward here. It's my pleasure this week to have a chat with you about all things Dungog and Council Happenings.
There's been a heap going on, so I'll pick out a couple of topics for you. Everywhere we drive, there's great road work. The crews are going fantastically. I'm getting a lot of positive feedback on our road crews and the work they're doing. So that's absolutely fantastic! And Clarence Town Bridge, I went past it again yesterday, and every day it's making huge improvements. That's a great team, they're going well.
I just want to remind you that there are a few concept design options for the future layout of the Duke and Durham Street intersection as part of the construction of the new Clarence Town Bridge now on public exhibition.
There are three or four options available, and they're open for review and comment now. You can comment on those options until the 23rd of January. So those people in Clarence Town, keep an eye out for them, go to council's website. The options are there, all well shown out. So if you have an opinion, go for it and put in a submission.
The staff have been really under the pump lately, but are doing a great job. The restructuring of the Infrastructure and Assets department continues in full swing. Any organisation needs to have a good look at itself every now and again. This has got the full support of the Councillors and me as well. Every now and again we need to refocus, and that's exactly what we're doing. So that's great. Another piece of good news in that regard is that we've just appointed a new Director of Planning and Environment. This particular person has accepted the job and will be starting in the new year, making this a very exciting time. So I can tell you, I was on that selection panel, and I'm excited!
We've also recently switched our IT service provider. We transitioned from Civica to Microsoft. Now, don't ask me anything about technology; I'm lucky to turn my phone on. But I know it's been a major effort, and not without its hiccups; the staff have been very diligent in working through those problems.
All this restructuring, and the way we're looking at driving our organisation is very exciting to the Councillors and me, and I'm really looking forward to the next six months. I think we'll start to see a lot of this hard work come into fruition with a better organisation and a better business model. So congratulations to all those involved. I know it's been hard, and I know the Councillors and I are putting more pressure on the staff because we are being directly involved with the community, and so we are pushing more questions back onto them. So they're dealing with the Councillors and me, as well as remodeling the whole business. Well done team.
We've also been extremely busy lobbying hard with politicians to get a better deal for Dungog. The General Manager and I spent a few days in Sydney at the Local Government NSW Annual General Meeting, where we successfully introduced several significant motions that we hope will continue to put pressure on the government.
Damian Morris, the Director of Infrastructure and Assets, and I also went to Canberra to discuss affordable housing with groups down there. It was an interesting meeting.
Additionally, I returned yesterday from Taree from a Hunter Joint Organisation meeting, where we discussed various matters, including our advocacy strategy, as we prepare for the next state elections. They'll be on us soon, and they're obviously the times when we need to get a bit of leverage. So that's happening, we're getting ready for that.
I'm very pleased when I go to these Hunter JO meetings, because Dungog is the smallest little Shire in the group there. And yet, time and time again, they step up and speak up for us as well. So that's very good news.
But more importantly, I need you to get around this one. We've been discussing the Housing and Infrastructure Master Plan for a long time. Well, the draft is now available for public comment. I've attended a couple of the meetings we've already had in Clarence Town, Vacy, and Dungog. There's been good representation there. There are only two drop-in information sessions left. There's one at Paterson and one at Gresford. They're coming up soon. They're both on Saturday, 13 December. Get yourself along to one of those if you can, and chat to the project team about any questions or thoughts you have. We're getting to the pointy end now, and this will then lead into the DCP and the LEP, so have your say!
Also, a big congratulations to the Dungog District Chamber of Commerce, on organising the street party last week. The council is very happy to support that, and I was there, with a lot of people around, and it was great to see. And I'm told I won the ERG competition, growing competition, so there you go. There's a bit of life in the old bloke!
Additionally, there is a strong push from the community to establish a Youth Council. The council is very happy to support this initiative in any way we can. I was just at a meeting with the school at Dungog and a number of people there. If anyone has a keen sense of developing and being involved in developing youth, Jim Doyle is the contact point for that. And we can provide you with a contact there, if you'd like. A couple of our Councillors will be heavily involved with that. So, keep an eye on that one.
We're getting close to Christmas. There's only one more council meeting left before we have a break.
One of the great things about Christmas is Christmas carols. So, those who love to sing a bit of Christmas carols, get down to Clarence Town on Saturday, at the museum site. There are carols at 3pm. Well done to the museum and the Lions Club for organising it. It'll be a great sing-along, and I'll probably be there too.
Well, that's me for the time being, and we'll catch you next time. Cheers.
